AUK got some time to talk with singer-songwriter Jess Williamson as she travelled down from Leeds to London. This sort of journey is nothing for Williamson who regularly drives between her twin bases of Los Angeles and Marfa, TX. Her most recent album, “Time Ain’t Accidental”, made many best of lists in 2023. The current tour is bookended with shows at the Green Man Festival and the End of the Road. Her performance at The Long Road was especially impressive with a lunchtime solo set on the main stage pulling in many passing music fans as she played and sang.
How’s the tour going?
Great. When we agreed the tour it’s a cool mix of festivals and club shows. With the gaps in between we’ve been able to get out and do some sightseeing.
How was the Brudenell? It’s a really cool venue, it felt very old style.
You played the main stage at The Long Road.
That was a great show. It was such an honour to be invited to play The Long Road especially with it being a country show. I didn’t know until we arrived that I was going to be on the main stage. I loved seeing people sitting on the grass, with their families, with their dogs, taking it in. I really like playing festivals – it’s a great opportunity for me to connect with new people who haven’t heard my music.
Looking forward to your London show at St Martin- in-the-Fields, how did you come to choose the venue?
It was my booking agent’s idea. After the two shows I played in London in January I knew I wanted to come back and play and we were looking around with a few ideas. Then she came back and said she had an option for a show at a beautiful church. Now it’s all booked I’m feeling a bit intimidated. I’ve never played in a church before, but it makes sense because there is a spiritual side to my work.
That’s a theme that comes across in quite a few of your songs. What’s your perspective on that?
Well, I come from a Christian family but I was sent to a very conservative Christian school in Dallas which was quite oppressive – they threw someone out for being gay. When I went to college, I rejected all of that but around five years ago or so I came to my own understanding of God which is more personal.
Was it always intended as a solo tour?
Yes this is a solo tour but for the London show I’ll be joined by Harry Bohay a London pedal steel player. We’re going to spend Wednesday [the day before the show] rehearsing so it will be a lot of fun and we wanted to do something different in London, so people don’t feel like they are seeing the same show they saw in January.
Has “Time Ain’t Accidental” been something of breakthrough in US?
Yes, it has. In February and March [2024] we toured with the full band playing all over, including New York and LA; a lot of shows. It felt like there were a lot of people at those shows and that they knew the songs and the words too. I’m doing a solo tour in the US in November, similar to the UK. However, I’m writing songs for the new record and I’m planning to try them out at those shows. I have a couple of the new songs in the set list for the London show.
As a songwriter do you see yourself as a confessional writer or more of a storyteller?
Till now it’s been tied to my personal experience. I’m most inspired when I’m really sad or angry or worked up but then the song is an exaggerated version of my experience. I’m figuring out what to do with the songs for the new record, seeing what works. So far, the new songs are more stories about characters. Based on my experience but less autographical and more bringing out the universal sense of experience through those characters
You recorded both the Plains record and “Time Ain’t Accidental” with Brad Cook in Durham with Brad and brother Phil. How was that?
They’re an amazing working experience. Brad and Phil are such talented players. I haven’t decided yet where to record the new record. I really need to see how it develops and from there I’ll decided on the players and the best place to record it.
You’ve done two folk albums, then two indie albums and the last two, including Plains, more in the country/ americana zone. Where will you be going with the new album?
I’m not really thinking about genre for the next record. It’s more about having the best songwriting and then everything else is production. I think the feel will be country because I’m from Texas and it’s there. The key is the songwriting and the singing. I’d like to improve my singing and I’m thinking about hiring a vocal coach.
You have quite a few multi layered vocals on your records; is this something you might look to produce on stage with looping technology like say Andrew Bird?
I haven’t really thought about that. I prefer the classic live experience of the voice and guitar. But it’s something I might think about if I knew how to work the technology.
Have you any plans to reissue the first two records – “Native State” just hit its 10th anniversary?
I put out a 10th anniversary of “Native State”. It was self-released, so I pressed 300 vinyl copies and sold through my website. They’re all gone now. But because I put them out myself it might be cool to do reissues. A lot of people still think “Cosmic Wink” was my first album instead of my third.
After the experience with Plains can you see yourself doing more collaborations?
I love collaborating; it’s such a valuable experience learning to create something together with another artist. My dream collaboration would be a duet with Bonnie Raitt – she was such a musical hero to me growing up. Recently, Jack Antonoff [award winning writer, producer, artist] reached out to me to say that ‘Hunter’ was his most listened to track on Spotify. He’s an incredibly talented person and I would love to work together.
The set lists are made up of songs from the last three albums – why nothing earlier?
It feels better to play newer songs at the shows. People are more familiar with them and like them. Though at Bristol recently, I had request for songs from “Cosmic Wink” and “Sorceress”, not the ones in the set. Because “Sorceress” came out right before Covid, I never got the chances to tour those songs and I’d forgotten how to play some of them live. We’re going to be rehearsing ‘Pictures of Flowers’ [her collaboration with Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy] with Harry covering Meg’s guitar parts.
Finally, what is the story about the phone – is it the real one or did that disappear?
The phone [on which she created the drum parts for the latest album] was stolen in Mexico. It was in my bag which fell off a balcony and by the time I picked it up the phone was gone. I didn’t realise it straight away. The worst part was losing all my notes of ideas for lyrics. I was able to salvage some from the cloud. I figured if I couldn’t remember them, then maybe they were best forgotten.
She was excellent at Long Road so it was interesting to hear her thoughts on various matters. Thanks, Richard.